How to Delete Stickers on iPhone — Every Method, Step by Step

To delete stickers on iPhone, open Messages, tap the plus (+) icon, select Stickers, switch to the Live tab, then press and hold the sticker you want to remove and tap Delete. That covers the most common case. But depending on what type of sticker you're dealing with, the steps vary — and that's where most people get stuck.

What Kind of Sticker Are You Trying to Delete?

Not all stickers on your iPhone work the same way, and that affects how — or whether — you can delete them.

Stickers You Can Delete

Custom stickers you added manually
Stickers created from your own photos (using the lift-subject feature in iOS 17 and later)
Custom Memoji stickers you built yourself
Third-party sticker packs downloaded from the App Store

Stickers You Cannot Delete

Apple's built-in system stickers and default Memoji sets cannot be removed. They're baked into iOS. You can hide them from the keyboard, but they won't disappear from the system entirely.

Understanding the Sticker Library Tabs

This trips people up more than anything else. When you open the sticker library in Messages, you'll see multiple tabs:

Recent — Shows stickers you've used lately. You cannot delete from here.
Live — Shows your custom stickers (the peeling-corner icon). This is where deletion works.
All Stickers — Shows everything, including system stickers.

If you're pressing and holding a sticker and no Delete option appears, you're almost certainly on the wrong tab.

Method 1 — How to Delete a Single Sticker on iPhone

This is the method most people need. It works on iOS 16, 17, and 18, though the exact navigation path looks slightly different depending on your version.

Steps via the Messages App

Open the Messages app and tap any conversation.
Tap the (+) icon next to the message input field.
Select Stickers from the options.
Make sure you're on the Live tab (peeling sticker icon).
Press and hold the sticker you want to remove.
Tap Delete from the pop-up menu.

On iOS 18, you can also reach your stickers through the emoji icon in the keyboard — look for the symbol that resembles a circle with one folded corner. Tap it, and your custom stickers will appear.

iOS Version Note

On iOS 16, the sticker interface sits inside the iMessage app drawer. On iOS 17 and 18, Apple reorganised this into a more unified keyboard-level sticker panel. The steps above apply to all three, but the visual layout differs slightly. If you can't find the Live tab, try tapping the sticker icon directly from the emoji keyboard rather than the plus menu.

Method 2 — How to Delete Multiple Stickers at Once

If you want to clear out a large number of custom stickers without tapping each one individually, the Rearrange mode is faster.

Using Rearrange Mode

Open Messages and tap the (+) icon.
Select Stickers, then go to the Live tab.
Press and hold any sticker.
Tap Rearrange instead of Delete.
All your custom stickers will begin to shake.
Tap the (−) minus button on each sticker you want to remove.

As explained in Wikipedia's overview of iCloud, iCloud enables users to store and sync data across Apple devices using the same account — which is why sticker deletions made on your iPhone will automatically reflect on your iPad and other connected devices.

Method 3 — How to Delete Stickers on iPhone Made from Your Photos

Starting with iOS 17, your iPhone can automatically generate stickers from people, pets, and objects it detects in your Photos library. Most users don't realise this is happening until they open their sticker library and find dozens of stickers they never intentionally created.

As reported by TechCrunch, iOS 17 introduced a new stickers experience that allows users to lift subjects from their own photos and turn them into stickers — a feature Apple calls "Live Stickers" when the source image is a Live Photo.

Removing Photo Stickers from the Sticker Library

Open Messages and access the sticker panel.
Navigate to All Stickers or the Live tab.
Press and hold the photo sticker you want to delete.
Tap Delete.

Removing a Sticker Placed on Top of a Photo

This is a different situation. If you placed a sticker on top of a photo using the markup or editing tools, it's embedded in that image — not sitting in your sticker library.

To remove it:

Open the Photos app and find the image.
Tap Edit.
Select the Markup tool (pen icon).
Tap the sticker element on the photo.
Tap the delete/trash icon to remove it.

How to Stop iPhone from Auto-Creating Stickers from Photos

If you want to prevent iOS 17 or 18 from generating new stickers from your photos automatically:

Open Settings.
Tap General.
Tap Keyboard.
Under the Emoji section, look for the option related to Stickers from Photos and toggle it off.

In practice, many users don't find this setting immediately because it's tucked inside the keyboard preferences rather than the Photos settings — which is where most people look first.

Method 4 — How to Delete Memoji and Genmoji Stickers

Why Default Memoji Cannot Be Deleted

Apple's built-in Memoji avatars are system-level content. There is no option to remove them — only to ignore them. This is a known limitation that Apple has not changed across iOS 16, 17, or 18.

How to Delete a Custom Memoji You Created

Open any app where the keyboard appears.
Tap the emoji icon, then go to the Stickers tab.
Tap your custom Memoji.
Tap the three-dot (…) menu.
Select Delete.

Note that deleting a custom Memoji removes the character and all stickers associated with it. There's no way to delete just one pose from a custom Memoji set while keeping the others.

Method 5 — How to Remove Third-Party Sticker Packs

Third-party sticker packs take up storage and can clutter your sticker library quickly — particularly if multiple people use your device.

Removing Packs via the Messages App

Open Messages and tap the (+) icon.
Select Stickers.
Swipe left through the sticker packs until you reach the end.
Tap Edit.
A list of installed packs will appear — tap the red minus (−) button to remove the ones you don't want.

A Note on WhatsApp and Other Third-Party App Stickers

Stickers used in WhatsApp, Telegram, or other messaging apps are managed entirely within those apps — not through the iPhone system. Deleting a sticker pack from the iPhone sticker library will not affect your WhatsApp stickers. To remove those, open WhatsApp, go to the sticker panel, and manage packs from within the app directly.

Method 6 — How to Disable Stickers Without Deleting Them

If you don't want to permanently delete stickers but just want them out of sight — especially to avoid accidentally sending one in a professional conversation — you can hide them from the keyboard without removing them.

Turning Off Stickers via Settings

Open Settings.
Tap General.
Tap Keyboard.
Scroll to the Emoji section.
Toggle off the sticker option.

The Difference Between Disabling and Deleting

Disabling removes stickers from appearing in your keyboard — but they're still saved on the device. If you re-enable the setting, they come back. Deleting removes them entirely. This distinction matters if you're trying to save storage space — disabling alone won't do that.

All iPhone Sticker Deletion Methods at a Glance

Method	What It Removes	Permanent?	Syncs via iCloud?	iOS Required
Delete individual sticker	Single custom sticker	Yes	Yes	iOS 16+
Bulk delete (Rearrange mode)	Multiple custom stickers	Yes	Yes	iOS 16+
Delete photo-created sticker	Auto-generated photo stickers	Yes	Yes	iOS 17+
Delete custom Memoji	Custom Memoji + all its stickers	Yes	Yes	iOS 16+
Remove third-party sticker pack	Full downloaded pack	Yes	No (per device)	iOS 16+
Disable via Settings	All stickers from keyboard view	No — hides only	No	iOS 16+

What to Do If Sticker Deletion Isn't Working

Sticker Won't Delete — Common Reasons

The most frequent cause is being on the Recent tab instead of the Live tab. The delete option simply does not appear on the Recent tab. Switch tabs first before assuming something is broken.

Stickers Reappearing After Deletion

If deleted stickers keep coming back, iCloud sync is usually the cause. Another device on the same account may be pushing them back. Try signing out of iCloud on all devices, deleting the sticker, then signing back in.

Delete Option Not Showing Up

If the long-press menu shows only Share or Copy but not Delete, you are likely looking at a system sticker or a default Memoji — neither of which can be removed. If it's a sticker you created and the option still doesn't appear, force-close Messages and try again.

iCloud Sync Conflicts

Sticker deletions sync via iCloud, which is usually helpful — but it can work against you if another device on your account hasn't updated yet. Give iCloud a few minutes to sync after deletion before concluding the sticker has returned permanently.

How to Restore Stickers You Accidentally Deleted

Re-download from the App Store

Open the App Store.
Tap your profile icon in the top right.
Select Purchased.
Tap Not on This iPhone.
Find the sticker pack and tap the download icon.

Free sticker packs you previously downloaded appear here too — not just paid ones.

Restore from iCloud Backup — What to Know First

This should genuinely be a last resort. Restoring from an iCloud backup doesn't just bring back stickers — it rolls back your entire phone to that point in time, including any data added after the backup date. Unless you're certain the backup predates your deletion and you're prepared for that trade-off, the App Store route is almost always the better option.

Conclusion

Deleting stickers on iPhone comes down to knowing which type you're dealing with and which tab to use. Custom stickers delete cleanly; system stickers don't. When in doubt, start with the Live tab in Messages.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't I delete stickers from the Recent tab on iPhone?

The Recent tab only shows stickers you've recently used — it's a display view, not a management one. Deletion only works from the Live tab, where your custom stickers are stored. Switch to Live, then press and hold the sticker to delete it.

Will deleting stickers on my iPhone remove them from my iPad?

Yes, if both devices use the same iCloud account. Sticker deletions sync via iCloud, so removing a sticker on your iPhone will remove it from your iPad and other connected Apple devices as well.

Do deleted stickers come back after an iOS update?

Custom stickers you deleted should stay deleted after an iOS update. However, if a sticker was part of a system update or default Apple content, it may reappear. Third-party packs you removed will not return on their own.

Can I delete stickers from WhatsApp on iPhone?

Not through the iPhone system. WhatsApp manages its own sticker library independently. To remove WhatsApp stickers, open WhatsApp, go to the sticker panel, and delete packs from within the app.

Does turning off stickers in Settings delete them permanently?

No. Disabling stickers via Settings > General > Keyboard hides them from your keyboard but does not delete them. Your stickers remain saved on the device. To remove them permanently, delete them through the sticker library in Messages.